The Siller Family started the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation to honor the memory of their brother, Stephen, a firefighter (FDNY) who lost his life on September 11, 2001. The goal of the Foundation is to continue Stephen’s legacy through its programs that support our nation’s first responders and catastrophically injured service members. On September…
What you need to know about how your builder is building a solid foundation for your new home. Footings and foundations are to homes what feet and legs are to the human body: Although foundations have been made from a number of materials — stone, block and even treated wood — reinforced concrete is used in the vast majority of new homes. The contractor erects…
A deep foundation is used when soil conditions are more difficult, like building on the side of a hill, or if the structure must be raised to prevent flooding. Deep foundations can be made from steel, wood, reinforced or pre-tensioned concrete. A deep foundation sometimes will penetrate the bedrock, so it is good to bring in a structural engineer in these cases…
All houses need a proper base for a strong structure, and the most popular type of house foundation is a concrete slab. They are the easiest kind for any DIYer to make. Follow these steps and you can lay your own basic concrete foundation with ease. Step 1 - Prepare the Ground After you have determined the desired thickness of your foundation, you need to get…
A proper foundation does more than just hold a house above ground. It also keeps out moisture, insulates against the cold, and resists movement of the earth around it. Oh, and one more thing: It should last forever. No wonder builders like This Old House general contractor Tom Silva take foundations seriously. Without a good one,he says, you re sunk. For Tom…
In the beginning of any self-improvement effort, it can be difficult to make lasting changes. You may go to the gym for a week and then stop. You might be productive for a few days, but start procrastinating when the motivation wears off. You may set a budget, only to overspend a month later. To prevent this from happening you have to build a foundation for self-improvement…
Steps Choose the type of foundation to build. The type of foundation depends on the area of the foundation will be located on and the type of structure that will be placed on it. Shallow foundations are built on level ground and hard surfaces. Shallow foundations are no more than 3 feet (91.44 cm) deep and are used primarily for smaller, simpler projects like…